They could have called it anything else, literally anything, and been better for it. The whiskey itself is surprisingly not bad, and a huge step up from Bushmills' white label.
Overall Rating: ★★☆
Cuervo Gold: the spirit so bad it convinced multiple generations they don't like an entire category of liquor. Let's buckle in for a well-deserved hatchet job.
Overall Rating: ⃠
Creyente is an extremely solid mezcal that should cater to those who like the lighter side of life. You'll know you're still drinking a mezcal, but not every bottle needs to smell and taste like a warehouse fire.
Overall Rating: ★★☆
Green Label isn't the most expensive of the Johnnie Walker line, but it's typically the most venerated by those in the know. It's not my favorite of favorites, but being objective, it's a great product.
Overall Rating: ★★☆
Say, that's a real pretty color you got there. It'd be a real shame if people was to know it was, how should we say, not the genuine article.
Overall Rating: ★☆☆
As of yet my favorite mezcal, flat-out. If you've thought of anything in the spirit category as a perpetual tire fire in liquid form, this might be the bottle to make you reconsider.
Overall Rating: ★★★
There's a lot that's very strange about this one from start to finish, although sometimes a little strangeness is just what the doctor ordered. Here the doctor is Indian and the strangeness is peanut.
Overall Rating: ★★☆
The Doublewood is one of the few single malt scotch whiskies I actually dislike. Chalk it up to a mix of personal taste and overexposure I'll explain in more detail.
Overall Rating: ★☆☆
It's fun to be wrong. Although I've crapped on flavored spirits before, the Square One Cucumber is as cool as a... well... you know.
Overall Rating: ★★★
A fair mixer and a serviceable sipping rum if you're not paying too close attention. The rum rub: you can get a lot better than the ED-5 for not very much more.
Overall Rating: ★☆☆
As everyone goes gonzo for Japanese whisky, the market adjusts to provide supply to match demand. Yes: this is Japanese, and it is whisky, but it might not be what you expect.
Overall Rating: ★☆☆
A "meh" product from a distillery that does pretty good work. Here, Espolon tries to gun for two flavor profiles at once and I don't think they pull it off.
Overall Rating: ★☆☆
Auchentoshan isn't really known as a powerhouse distillery. So what do you do when you know the market is itching for boldness? You force yourself to be something you're not. Here, it's surprisingly successful.
Overall Rating: ★★☆
Fords gets a top score purely because I can't find a damned thing wrong with it. It's a stunner in terms of taste, aroma, and value for money.
Overall Rating: ★★★
Sometimes it's important not to let a distillery's mass-market offering color your opinion of their entire range. I really don't like the standard Jameson much, but I quite enjoyed this.
Overall Rating: ★★☆
Martin Miller's is maybe my favorite gin, period. It's a stupidly good product that is almost beyond all reproach. Sure, it's not a juniper-heavy back breaker, but not every gin needs to be.
Overall Rating: ★★★
A long one for today, guys and gals, but I hope you'll indulge me. Avión is drinkable proof that positioning and branding is more than just fluff, as it can actually come to affect the taste of what ends up in your glass. And not in a wholly bad way.
Overall Rating: ★★☆
Stoli? We're doing regular-ass Stoli? You bet we are. Let's see how Roger Sterling's drink of choice holds up under some serious scrutiny.
Overall Rating: ★☆☆
Laughed at Canadian whisky, did you? Thought the category could aspire to no better than Black Velvet? Well, buy this, and drink this. Never has it been so wonderful to be so utterly wrong.
Overall Rating: ★★★
A challenging vodka to spell and pronounce, and an equally challenging vodka to enjoy an entire glass of. A good study in how temperature can drastically change the taste and character of a spirit.
Overall Rating: ★☆☆